Take more than you need and give a little back. This is ludicrous. We have fixed costs and variable costs in the government. The key is control the variable costs. Here's an idea thought up by a very progressive Frenchman: Why don't we "freeze public spending for five years" - PM Sarkozy. He admitted that France would only eliminate its deficit "if we do the underlying structural reforms, which would allow us to reduce in a much more significant way public-sector employment and public spending." Here's the U.S. reality, taxes are power, power to make people dependent and to get Congress dependency reelected for doing what? In the past 7 years its been support the status quo, hold oversight hearings that have nothing to do with the key issues of the day, one bipartisan bill which had nothing to do with the will of the people and raise the minimum wage. Now that an election year is coming up, they want us to feel good about their fiscal effectiveness with a short term stimulus and then back to the shell game again. We need a stimulus package alright, but a stimulus to solve problems, not figure out how to get reelected.